


Stay With Me (My Blood)

by gayshipsyayships



Series: Joshler Oneshots [3]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Fluff, M/M, MY BLOOD, Mostly friendship, Trench Era, for now, i couldn’t help myself i desperately love this song already, i didn’t finish so we’ll see actually, no beta we die like men, soft, trench, tyler and jenna aren’t together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2019-07-03 15:17:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15821550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayshipsyayships/pseuds/gayshipsyayships
Summary: Josh rescues Tyler from Dema and Tyler couldn’t be more happy to see his best friend again.





	1. Stay With Me (My Blood)

**Author's Note:**

> so i already love my blood and literally all the songs so far??? i couldn’t help myself literally.
> 
> edit: i started writing this right after my blood came out. couldn’t help myself.

Down in the trenches on the outskirts of Dema, the water ran cold. The black rocks and soil that were surrounded by the steep cliffs would be nearly inhabitable if it weren’t for the water running within it. This was more proved possible so by the vibrant yellow flowers that somehow bloomed from the tar colored ground. 

Tyler has laid in that water before, and he could tell you how cold it was. Although when Tyler found himself laying down in the same cold trench water again, he would’ve assumed the Bishops had finally gotten sick of chasing him and dumped his body in the water, waiting for it to carry it away. Tyler didn’t expect to be hiding in a nearby cave sitting clutched to the side of an almost forgotten friend. 

* * *

In Dema, Tyler had nearly forgotten of his old life or how long ago he had arrived here. It wasn’t until Tyler had been recieving letters and secret messages that Tyler had begun to recollect memories until he had strung together every last bit of what he lost, unknowingly to the Bishops. 

Tyler’s first escape didn’t even make it out of Dema’s walls. Before he could think, a guard saw him and he was locked up in his room for weeks.

His second attempt was more careful. For weeks, Tyler watched the routines of the guards and found ways out, even out of reach within the Bishops’ eyes. He was more prepared this time around, as he actually made it over the walls, but he didn’t make it through the night until he was found again. The Bishops didn’t even bother to carry him back, cradled and out of it. They grabbed him by his neck and pulled him all the way back to Dema by his hood. 

Tyler gave up trying to escape for a while, he couldn’t stand the thought of being caught again. It wasn’t until months had past (Tyler couldn’t even remember how long it was) that Tyler had heard of someone escaping successfully. What Tyler did remember from that day was the look on the one Bishop, Nico, as he angrily stated how a man named Brendon Urie resisted to much and got himself killed trying to escape. Tyler would realize later that the Bishops were lying when they said he died.

Tyler’s third attempt was something of remembering. It was the farthest he had ever gotten. He remembered standing in the trenches, the cold water soaking his shoes as Nico was so close to taking him back. As Tyler stood feet away from Nico, he stopped and he looked up. Dozens of yellow flower petals sunk from the sky like confetti, raining over Nico and Tyler. Tyler remembered seeing people standing among the cliffs of the trench, his eyes meeting a familiar pair brown eyes and a small glance of a recognizable colorful tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve.

Before he could think about what he was doing next, Tyler _ran_. He didn’t make it, because Nico caught him and pulled him back to Dema again. He eyes met the brown ones again as he watched on, seeming to say _‘I will return for you’._

His fourth attempt, however, was something the Bishops would never live down. 

* * *

Tyler was stuck in his room again, the Bishops were really letting him have it this time especially since it was Tyler’s third escape attempt. However, Tyler wasn’t sitting quietly, he was taking the opportunity while he could. Albeit, he didn’t have much time, he moved quickly. 

He pulled out his books and packed his essentials, which wasn’t much considering they didn’t give Tyler much of anything anymore. He opened his top drawer, almost forgetting why he opened it in the first place. He stared down at the drawer full of yellow flower petals, something he knew wasn’t there when he returned. Tyler didn’t think much about it as he closed the drawer. 

Tyler opened his door and moved fast. The guards were changing stations (even the one in front of Tyler’s door) and the Bishops were in the chapel, so the courtyard and practically every place else in Dema was empty. Tyler ran through the courtyard, his black clothes cloaking him easier in the dark of the night.

Tyler dashed past corners, moving past the dark gray walls of Dema's buildings. It wasn't he found himself passing by a tall building with an unlit torch stuck to it that Tyler stopped. He noticed what seemed to be a yellow handkerchief laying on top of the unlit, no, the burnt out torch's wood. Tyler reached a hand out, until he felt a hand on his shoulder, his heart dropping into his stomach almost immediately.

Tyler instantly curled in on himself on instinct. Until he met brown eyes, the hand clasping his shoulder belonged to the arm of the colorful tattoos. Tyler almost forgot who he was looking at until the man spoke his name. 

“Tyler.” The man’s voice came out soft. “Do you remember me?”

It’s been too long since he heard that voice. A smile came to Tyler’s face as old, worn memories came back. Tyler couldn’t help but realize why he was so absolutely drawn to the yellow flower petals, it was because yellow was the color of Josh’s hair the last time he ever saw him. _Over three whole years ago._

“Josh.”

The two couldn’t help but embrace, grasping onto each other like they were dying. Although, it didn’t last long and Tyler thought again why they were there. 

Josh ushered him out through a way that Tyler didn’t even know of, one that was underground. He followed suit behind Josh, the makeshift torch he lit within seconds they came down to the tunnel glowing their way. When they came out the other side of the tunnel, they stood on a low mountain side. Tyler looked over his shoulder and saw the outline of Dema with a thick fog surrounding it.

_He made it._

* * *

As Josh and Tyler moved, they found themselves in a shallow cave within a small forest far beyond the outskirts of Dema. They had followed the mountain side, Tyler even noted how close to the trenches they were but how far away they were from Dema.

“I would make a fire, but even with the distance we have from Dema and the main trench, it’s still too risky.” Josh said, his mask off his face now as he was pulling a blanket out of his bag. 

Tyler was still amazed that Josh was here in front of him. Tyler remembered the day he was taken, although not in full detail (since something so traumatic caused Tyler to push it out of his system), he remembered the terrifying feeling of never getting to see Josh again. He didn’t know what he went through to the point of where he managed to be helping other escapees from Dema it seemed, but he had a feeling that it couldn’t compare anything Tyler imagined. 

“Ty?”

Tyler looked up his fingers he didn’t even know he was looking down at. Josh sat down next to him.

”I haven’t heard you say a word since we left Dema... are you okay?” Josh spoke slowly. 

God, Tyler was so overwhelmed with so many emotions right now he couldn’t even imagine speaking. 

“I-I just—“ Tyler croaked, his voice hoarse for not speaking for so long. Tyler had no reason to in Dema. “I don’t understand. How are you here? How did you know where to find me?”

Josh chuckled, and damn, did Tyler miss that. 

“I run a small camp far off from here. We call ourselves the Banditos, and we take in refugees from Dema.” Josh explained. “There’s a few dozen of us, but every day we go out and help rescue those wishing to escape from the Bishops. We used to figure out radio signals and give out a signal only escapees could figure out. _‘East is up’_ was something picked out and I even figured if you could hear, you would know.”

”But, how did you know I was there, in Dema?” Tyler spoke, thoughts racing through his mind like crazy. 

“The last half dozen escapees could not stop talking about someone named Tyler Joseph. They all came speaking about how you had inspired them to leave, how without even speaking to them, you spoke to them in a way to brought them to want freedom.” Josh nearly smiled at the thought. “It wasn’t until Brendon showed up at the camp demanding we rescue you that we had finalized a plan.”

Tyler’s mouth dropped open. “Brendon found you? Who else is there?”

”Mark was the first to find out that you were trapped in Dema.” Tyler nearly choked out a sob of happiness at the mention of Mark. “He came to me and explained how we needed to get you out. He told me that you’ve tried escaping but you didn’t succeed, and we didn’t know how long you had left before the Bishops thought it would be best to dump your body into the trenches.

”Not only is Mark there, but Jenna is too. Along with the escapees you might know of that had escaped.”

Tyler looked down, a smile coming to his face and tears stinging his eyes. Tyler’s body was suddenly shaking with sobs, the first real open emotions he’s had it was seemed like so long. Josh pulled the younger male’s body to him and hugged him as he cried, Tyler even feeling a few droplets of Josh’s tears fall on his neck. Tyler had never felt more happy, and the fact that he could almost be free from Dema and the Bishops was the highlight of his lifetime it seemed. 

Josh couldn't help but hold Tyler closer to him. He couldn't imagine what he could've gone through in the last three years since he had been taken. It was already bad enough he was taken from his family, and only to watch some of them die as well, but to be taken to as sick of a place like Dema was an unimaginable thought. 

"Josh, I—" Tyler spoke, choking still on his sobs. "I can't go back there, Josh. They'll kill me."

Josh clutched the male closer in his arms, as Tyler’s grip tightened. 

“I won’t, Tyler. Not ever. Not ever again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this was meant to be longer but i was running out of time so i’m posting this. would y’all want a part two???


	2. You (Don’t) Need To Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler finally makes it to the Bandito camp, but the growing bitter feeling of eyes on him don’t seem to go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// dead body, slight blood
> 
>  
> 
> i heard some wanted a chapter two... and ye shall receive
> 
> also i saw that this story was under the dema masterlist on the twenty one pilots fic library on tumblr? that’s so amazing!! thank you for that. <3

When Josh said that he ran the Banditos camp, Tyler couldn’t even imagine that Josh really was the leader of the place. There was no offense to Josh at all in Tyler’s mind, more fondness and pride in his best friend than anything. To think that someone like Josh, who was only gaining steady control of his anxiety at the time three years ago, was the leader of a relatively large camp was something that astonished Tyler. Yet, he could still see the older male was still the same sweet and humble man he knew once before. 

Speaking of the Banditos, the camp was more massive in size compared to what Tyler thought it would be. Although it wasn’t chock full of full scaled buildings or anything, it held a resemblance to a tent city. There were a few standing guards, some gatherers, a few care centers, a couple of campfires going, and lots of tents to stay in. From what Tyler could see, the population remained at around 20 to 35 people, maybe more. Tyler was nothing short of amazed. 

Tyler followed Josh to what he presumed to be the main care tent. He walked past a lot of empty beds and a few full ones until they stopped. The nurse pulled the curtain back at the sight of the two boys and Tyler’s eyes immediately met the shocked eyes of Mark Eshleman and Brendon Urie. 

“Well, shit!” Brendon exclaimed, a wide smile coming to his face. “If it isn’t the man of the year.”

Tyler felt so much rush back to him all at once again as he looked at Brendon and Mark. Tyler had practically forgotten about Brendon back when they were stuck in Dema since the Bishops never let either of them see one another, so much so that Tyler didn’t even recognize Brendon’s name when the Bishops had announced his “death”. Tyler smiled at the memory of Brendon again, even more as he realized that they were both now out of Dema. 

Tyler was knocked out of his thoughts, quite literally, when Mark wrapped his arms around Tyler in a tight embrace. Tyler quickly held him back, so much emotion coming back to him all at once just hugging his long time friend. Mark was one person Tyler was elated to return home too, since Mark had always been there for Tyler, it was terrifying to go without him for so long.

When the two finally pulled apart, Tyler went to hug Brendon, who he now noticed was laying down in the hospital bed. 

“I come here for normal checkups to see how I’m doing after leaving Dema.” Brendon explained. “But enough, don’t worry about me! I’m so happy you finally got out, Tyler!”

”It wasn’t easy.” Tyler chuckled, looking down.

”I’ll say.” Mark piped up from his chair beside Brendon’s bed. “We heard about all your escapes. After your third, we were sure the Bishops would’ve killed you. You’re lucky you got out while you did, Tyler.”

Tyler chuckled, but the anxiety rushed over him again when he realized how close he came to actually dying. What if he got caught again? What if Josh never came for him? What if the Bishops really did just kill Tyler?

Josh placed a hand on Tyler’s shoulder, and Tyler sighed. Josh’s touch soothed him, taking away some of the anxiety before it became too apparent. They all quickly changed the subject and it was like they talked for hours. Tyler had even told how they escaped and Josh explained how he got in to find Tyler. 

“There were some people who didn’t want to come looking for you.” Mark softly said after a moment of silence, looking down at the thought. “Josh was so determined to come get you out of there that he finally went to get you himself.”

Brendon piped up. ”Although it was practically a suicide mission just to go into Dema _alone_ , low-and-behold, this crazy son of a bitch got you out of there.”

Tyler’s thoughts couldn’t help thinking about how grateful he was for Josh. Even though he was planning to escape, he was starting to think that he probably couldn’t have made it out that time if it wasn’t for the help of Josh. It was still surreal to him that Josh, Mark, and Brendon were even here with him. _Alive_. 

Josh and Tyler ended up leaving eventually, promising they’d be around. The two men continued through the small camp as Tyler’s eyes wandered around examining everything he could. He noticed the rows of tents and their varying sizes, seeing glimpses of the the campfires, and even observing the guards on watch as they kept eyes out while speaking to one another  

Tyler even caught other pairs of eyes while walking by. Some looked shocked, while others seemed confused. He remembered Josh mentioning that the last few who escaped from inside Dema’s walls had spoke of him, and Tyler’s chest warmed as he passed some of those said escapees and locked eyes with them.

The younger male wasn’t snapped out of his thoughts until Josh rested a hand on his shoulder again and he noticed they were standing in front of a residential tent. It was slightly bigger than the others, which led Tyler to assume that this one must be Josh’s. 

“After you.” Josh gestured to the opening, a smile coming to his face. “There’s one more person waiting for you.”

Tyler looked to Josh slightly hesitant before reaching for the flap. His eyes instantly met blue and blonde, noticing a female sitting on the cot inside. Her head snapped up and Tyler recognized her right away. 

“Jenna?” He gasped out. 

The two collided in a tight hug immediately. Tyler quickly wrapped his arms around the woman, burying his face in her neck. He breathed in her scent; the slight floral fragrance she carried brought back a rush of emotions to Tyler within seconds, tears filling his eyes once more. 

He honestly couldn’t believe it. Even in the arms of an old lover and in the presence of a long time best friend, Tyler couldn’t fathom the amount of ease he felt now more than ever before. He knew it wasn’t going to truly like home and like old times, yet he was more content with the closeness to it now than anything else in the _world_. Now, he wasn’t going to let anyone take him away from that. 

When the two finally pulled apart from their embrace, Tyler couldn’t help but bring Jenna’s face in his hands. Jenna smiled brightly as her tear stained cheeks glistened in the light. 

“God, you’re alive.” Tyler whispered in utter awe, his smile growing. He looked between Jenna and Josh, seeming to refer to them both. “You're alive! I just—“

Jenna spoke up finally, ”Still as loving as ever, Ty.”

Tyler couldn’t help the chuckle the rumbled through his chest. It all just felt so surreal to him. 

Jenna finally ushered Tyler to sit down, taking his pack he had and handing him some food and water for the meantime. Tyler watched as she set his bag down next to the second bed in the tent (in which Tyler finally realized was there this whole time), and reach for a new pair of clothes for him since Tyler was still sitting in his Dema issued attire. He saw Josh stand next him out of the corner of his eye, noticing him take his hat off finally to reveal was seemed to be a fresh buzzcut; definitely a change of pace than the colored mohawk he was used to seeing on him.

“Jenna and I were in charge of the whole rescue mission and the team that was originally supposed to come for you.” Josh spoke from next to him. His smile turned into a closed mouth grin, and Tyler could tell there was some slight tensity and anxiety behind the words. “Yet, as more Dema runaways came, more were in need of care and we both were worried we wouldn’t be able to get you out.”

”It was our largest team we had yet, but a one man team was our last resort.” Jenna continued, speaking up from the other side of the room. “Josh was the one to decide last minute to go alone against all the other concerns everyone had.”

”What were the concerns?” Tyler found himself asking before he could stop it. “I-I’m just another refugee like everyone else.”

This question seemed to catcher the two off guard, but Josh spoke before any unease could settle, sitting down next to Tyler on the bed. “That doesn’t matter now. What matters now is that you’re here.”

Jenna piped up, “And safe.”

Tyler smiled softly once again. 

_And free._

* * *

 

Nightfall had finally settled over the Bandito camp and all was quiet except for the distant cackle of campfires and Josh’s incredibly soft snores in the bed next to Tyler’s. 

Jenna had left not long after their conversation while Josh had explained to him what more they would do the rest of what was left of the day and tomorrow. As they left for the food tent to eat dinner and getting a brief tour of the rest of the camp, they had retreated back to Josh’s tent for the night. Josh had told Tyler that he would stay with him for the night, unless he wished to stay with Jenna, Mark, or anyone else he was comfortable with. Tyler agreed to stay with Josh immediately, wishing to stay with nobody else but him. 

So, Tyler took the cot opposite of Josh’s and within seconds he was out like a light. 

Tyler found it funny at the thought of himself falling asleep so quickly, yet he understood why. He was so used to the strict ways of the Bishops that his body almost didn’t know what to do with a bed like the one he was in. While the beds at Dema were twin sized beds, they were uncomfortable and could be compared to prison beds. They had little to no support and Tyler wished for nothing more than a good nights sleep more than anything at night.

Yet, here at the Bandito camp, while they had cots and some seemingly full fledged beds, they were _actually_ comfortable. Tyler sunk down instantly as his back hit soft cushioning, feeling his body switch between tense and relaxed. It was so comfortable that his body seemed to feel not right, however, he found himself passing out almost instantly. 

Although, he doesn’t think he would’ve fallen asleep that quick if it wasn’t for Josh’s presence there with him.

 

 

 

_Wind rushed around him quickly, the freezing waters of the stream was what seemed to alert him most. Tyler opened his eyes in an instant, recognizing the the gray skies nearby Dema instantly. He sat himself up quickly, feeling the blackened soil beneath his fingers and the cold water falling down his back._

_He knew where he was, feeling his stomach drop suddenly at the thought._ How did he get to the trenches?

_He stood up right away, taking in his surroundings to notice how much more desaturated the place felt. The flowers were drooping and wilted, while the vibrancy the rest of the place had was lessened somehow. Tyler went to take a step, yet he couldn’t move from the place where he stood. His heart began to race, looking down at his feet in confusion. When he looked back up though, the sight of what was now in front of him had practically taken his breath away._

_Nico sat there on his white horse, seeming to almost appear out of thin air. His red cloak was just so vibrant and the white horse was so bright to his eyes, it was as if he didn’t belong in the environment at all._ Where did he come from? 

_The red cloaked Bishop was sitting there on his horse holding a body by the back of the neck in the air with one hand. The body dangled in the air, the head drooped down and the rest of the body loose, unmoving. He couldn’t possibly be able to hold them, Tyler was sure it was impossible. However, he gasped for air it seemed, heaving in and out for breath._

_Nico then tossed the body to the ground like trash with the body’s front facing Tyler. The man couldn’t help but yelp at realization and recognization of who the body really was._

_It was Josh._

_Tyler’s eyes caught sight of the purple bruises around his neck and the blood covering his clothes all over. The sight and thought alone of what could’ve happened brought tears to Tyler’s eyes, trying to move his feet to get to Josh once again, yet they didn’t budge._

_Before Tyler could think to cry out to him, more Bishops had appeared all around Tyler, circling him. Tyler made efforts to move once again and again and again, each time being more unsuccessful than the last._ _The Bishops all started coming to him all at once, all galloping on their white horse toward him. Tyler’s breathing quickened at their hands reached out and then—_

 

 

 

“Tyler! Wake up!”

 

A screamed came out of Tyler’s throat so loud it felt like it ripped his entire throat out. Loud sobs racked his body quickly and his chest began to hurt from all the heavy breathing he was doing. Within seconds, a pair of arms wrapped around his upper body, trying to ground him. The unfamiliar presence only made him thrash harder and his crying grow louder in the darkness in the tent. 

A light then came on as Josh appeared in his view and his voice came softly to his ears. The sight, sound, and presence alone was enough to calm him down immensely.

“Tyler, it’s okay.” He said, gently. “I’m right here.”

Josh softly placed his hands on Tyler’s face, forcing him to make eye contact with the older male. Josh’s brown eyes held nothing but concern and worry, something that Tyler found nothing but solace in them quickly. Tyler shakily brought a hand up to the other man’s wrist, gripping the warm skin beneath his palm. His sobs had finally ceased, so Tyler took the opportunity to pull Josh into a tight embrace.

Josh seemed to think the same thing because he pulled Tyler to him as well. His breathing finally settled to normal after a while with Josh’s presence calming Tyler’s mind quickly after. 

“I’m here, Tyler.” Josh mumbled into Tyler’s ear. “You’re here with me. You’re safe now.”

Tyler didn’t say anything, just gripping Josh’s t-shirt tightly before they both pulled away. Even then, it was quiet before either of them spoke again.

Shockingly, it was Tyler who spoke first. 

“Josh,” He spoke in a raspy tone. “What were the concerns?”

“What?”

“When you were coming to rescue me. What were the concerns people had with rescuing me?”

Josh was quiet, neither denying nor accepting the words just yet it seemed. He looked away from Tyler’s prying eyes, thinking carefully on what he wished to say. 

“There were many that wanted to rescue you. Mark, Brendon, the escapees, Jenna, and me included.” Josh started. “Yet, there were others that thought it was impossible and not worth it. Many of them saw a risk in sending us all out just to bring someone back that was only a danger to the Banditos.”

Tyler sucked in a breath at those words, adding to the ache already resting in his chest.

Josh continued, “They thought that with the track record in the amount of escapes you made and the amount of people leaving because of you, the Bishops would have a larger bounty out for you. With a huge target on you, it meant the Bishops would only search harder. So bringing you back here to the Banditos would not only risk the Bishops finding you, but the Bandito camp and the rest of the people—”

”—who escaped from inside Dema’s walls.” Tyler finished for Josh. The older man nodded, looking away more already from the younger’s eyes. 

“It was utterly reckless of me to go alone last minute, even if it was to save you.” Josh spoke sadly. “Yet, I told Jenna that I was going to bring you back, but I wasn’t going to let anything happen to any of the Banditos, not if I could help it. As their leader, I wasn’t going to leave anyone behind.”

Tyler said nothing, but felt so much more. His heart flooded with admiration for Josh and he started to cry again without realizing it. Warm tears streamed softly down his face, yet he remained quiet as he wrapped his arms around Josh once more. 

“I just know I’ll face my consequences tomorrow, and the only thing I’m scared of right now is letting everyone down.” Josh said. 

“You couldn’t.” Tyler mumbled hoarsely from Josh’s shoulder. “There’s no way you could possibly do that.”

Josh was quiet, but Tyler felt the man’s  arms tighten just a bit around him. 

“You could never disappoint me, Josh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD i wrote the last part of this starting from jenna’s interaction all the way to the end in two days... yet this draft was sitting in my works for months lol
> 
> i hope you enjoyed! would you like a part 3?


End file.
